PLATELET INDICES - A CONCEIVABLE INDEX FOR VASCULAR INTRICACIES IN PATIENTS WITH TYPE 2 DIABETES

Abstract

Introduction: Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a prothrombotic condition characterized with increased inflammation and accelerated atherosclerosis. Platelet hyperactivity, a key contributor to vascular dysfunction in DM, facilitates development of microvascular occlusions and atherosclerotic plaque. Platelet indices, including plateletcrit (PCT), mean platelet volume (MPV), platelet distribution width (PDW), and platelet count, increasingly recognized as potential indicators of diabetes related vascular complications. Given the hypercoagulable state associated with diabetes, alterations in platelet indices may reflect the underlying pathophysiological changes contributing to microvascular and macrovascular complications. This study seeks to find out the role of platelet indices as potential indicators of vascular complications in diabetic patients.

Methods: An investigative study was conducted on T2DM patients, categorized into two by presence or absence of vascular complications. Platelet indices, including PCT, MPV, PDW, platelet large cell ratio (P-LCR) and platelet count, were analyzed and set side by side amongst categories.

Results: Patients with vascular complications exhibited significantly higher platelet indices compared to those without complications. A negative correlation was observed between platelet count and vascular complications, suggesting increased platelet activation and consumption. The findings indicate that alterations in platelet indices may aid to be an early hematological indicator for vascular risk-stratification in diabetic patients.

Conclusion: Platelet indices could serve as cost-effective and easily accessible markers for assessing vascular complications in DM. Unifying these parameters into everyday clinical appraisals could aggrandize the primal revelation and management of vascular compromise associated with diabetes.